How Important was the Old Testament to the New Testiment Writers?
The Holy Scriptures
Over the years many books have been compiled with lists of Old Testament references occurring in the New Testament.
As one would expect, different compilers arrive at different figures. A conservative estimate is that there are around 300 direct quotations and about 500 citations.
From this estimate, it is interesting to note that all of the NT books, except Philemon, contain OT references. This practice reminds us of the words of Paul that these things were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.
The following table compiled from Things Written Aforetime (1990) and Written For Our Learning (1994) by F. Stallan shows the incidence of occurrences in the NT books:
| Scriptures | Quotations | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew | 54 | 69 |
| Mark | 22 | 33 |
| Luke | 25 | 70 |
| John | 20 | 53 |
| Acts | 34 | 64 |
| Romans | 54 | 36 |
| Corinthians | 29 | 50 |
| Galatians | 10 | 7 |
| Ephesians | 5 | 12 |
| Philippians | 0 | 8 |
| Colossians | 0 | 9 |
| Thessalonians | 2 | 8 |
| Timothy | 2 | 8 |
| Titus | 0 | 1 |
| Philemon | 0 | 0 |
| Hebrews | 38 | 54 |
| James | 6 | 9 |
| Peter | 17 | 16 |
| John | 0 | 5 |
| Jude | 0 | 5 |
| Revelation | 3 | 3 |
The following table of authors illustrates the fact that Paul is the writer who most frequently refers to the OT. We also learn that these eight writers used 841 references in 260 chapters, slightly more than three references per chapter. This would emphasize their respect for and dependence upon the OT Scriptures.
| Authors | Chapters | References |
|---|---|---|
| Paul | 100 | 304 |
| Luke | 52 | 193 |
| Matthew | 28 | 123 |
| John | 50 | 70 |
| Mark | 16 | 55 |
| Peter | 8 | 33 |
| James | 5 | 15 |
| Jude | 1 | 5 |
Go, inquire of Jehovah for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book (2 Kings 22:13).
